If you’ve enjoyed a meal at Carnation Cafe on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland, you’ve likely been in the midst of real Disney royalty –perhaps without even knowing it.
Carnation Cafe
Chef Oscar Martinez has been working in the Cafe for half a century — and he has been working at Disneyland for over sixty total years. This makes Chef Oscar the longest tenured Disneyland cast member ever.
Carnation Cafe’s Chef Oscar
But after decades of turning out “Oscar’s Potatoes” and his Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Chef Oscar retired on September 27. (And may we say that it is a well-deserved break?!)
Chef Oscar
Chef Oscar has been a touchstone for visitors to Walt’s park, often seen first thing in the morning, waving to guests as they entered the park. He was always game for a chat, as our Disneyland correspondent Heather Sievers (@diningindisney) found out one morning.
Oscar started as a bus boy and worked his way up the restaurant ladder, finally achieving fame as a connoisseur of comfort food at Carnation Cafe. It was here that Oscar spent the last fifty years of his service to the Walt Disney Company and to the guests he loved so much.
Chef Oscar
And while Oscar has more recently spent his time as an ambassador in the dining room rather than as a chef on the line, his influence will continue to be felt in the Carnation Cafe and in the Company for years to come.
We wish Chef Oscar all the best in his retirement — and thank him for spreading so much Disney magic over the past six decades.
Have you met Chef Oscar? Share your story in the comments below!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I’m sad I won’t get to see Chef Oscar any longer, but his is a well-deserved retirement.
We were lucky to see Chef Oscar in May of this year ! We were having lunch at Carnation Cafe and he was sitting at a table near us ! The staff were treating him well ! He came around to each table and talked and posed for pictures ! We were thrilled and honored to see him ! He is truly a good person and will be missed. What a dear soul !!! Thank you for everything Oscar !!! Wishing you the very best !!!
If anyone deserves a window on Main Street it is Oscar. He is an institution at CC and will be missed.
We will miss Oscar
I got to know Oscar over the years when I had my annual pass from 1989 until the time they raised the prices on the passes to almost DOUBLE (a few years back). Anyway, I always had my breakfast at Carnation Café before I set out to explore the park. Oscar always came over to say “Hi” and we struck up a conversation. Found out that he his birthday was the same day as mine! I usually came in on my Birthday and Oscar would make a point of sitting down at my table so we could “celebrate” together. That was so much fun! I’m just sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye when he retired since I didn’t have a pass any longer. But being able to follow him on Facebook is a joy – knowing he is really enjoying retirement life!! Besides Oscar, I got to know most all the other cast members at Carnation who I can call my friends. I will forever miss Bobby now that he is in heaven and Randy since he needed to retire this past year. I hope to someday get back to the “Land” on a regular basis again. If only the passes hadn’t skyrocketed out of reach…..sigh…..
If you love Oscar from Carnation Cafe, please take a moment to sign and share this petition ✨
http://chng.it/qCbpVBLM